We teach early reading through the systematic, synthetic phonics programme Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. Right from the start of Reception, children have a daily phonics lesson which follows the progression for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds and this continues in Year One to ensure children become fluent readers.

Children make a strong start in Reception: teaching begins in Week 2 of the Autumn term. We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised expectations of progress (please see below for the progression). Four new phonemes and their corresponding graphemes are taught (GPCs) each week, and they are then used in the final lesson of the week to review the week’s learning. Children will also learn tricky words during these sessions.

 In the Autumn and Spring term, children in Reception learn Phase 2 and Phase 3 GPCs, with Phase 4 being covered in the Summer term. Where needed, additional work on blending will be provided through short, sharp blending blast sessions. 

As children progress in to Year 1, they revise prior learning before moving on to learn Phase 5 GPCs which will be completed by the end of the year. Year 2 children begin by revisiting Phase 5 and other previously taught phases to ensure all children are completely confident with applying these GPCs in both their reading and also their writing.

Half termly assessments take place through Reception and Year 1 to help inform future teaching and help identify children who have gaps in their phonic knowledge and need additional practice. Daily assessment of learning also takes place within the classroom so staff can quickly identify any children who are in danger of falling behind and provide the appropriate daily ‘Keep Up’ intervention. In line with current Government assessment practices, pupils will participate in a phonics screening towards the end of Year 1. For more information about the Phonics Screening Check, please follow this link.

For support with the pronunciation of the phonemes taught, please refer to the videos within https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/